In using a pickup truck for various trades, it is necessary to maintain tools in the bed as well as provide for the hauling of materials. For instance a plumber needs various plumbing tools and also must carry pipe, pipe couplings and other paraphernalia necessary for plumbing jobs. Various types of tool boxes have been provided in the past which generally fit into a truck bed to allow for storage of tools. While such tool boxes are satisfactory for the purpose of safeguarding the tools by providing a locked container and generally serve to maintain the tools in a waterproof environment, access to the tools is sometimes difficult. In addition such tool boxes are generally too small to hold all of the tools necessary for most trades.
In attempts to overcome the above-named difficulties there have originated special beds for pickup trucks which generally comprise tool boxes being substituted for the side walls of the bed while leaving a smaller center area open for hauling miscellaneous materials. While such tool boxes provided the advantage of being accessible from the side of the truck still they require the total replacement of the pickup bed and also take up much of the bed hauling space which would otherwise be available. In addition such special beds are quite expensive and require the replacement of the total bed when converting existing pickup trucks.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a tool box which enables the adaptation of existing pickup trucks for the storage of a multitude of tools or other paraphernalia which are easily reached and with a minimum reduction in the hauling space of the bed.